It has been suggested in the art relating to internal combustion engines, including diesel engines, that the sound or noise generated by engine operation may be reduced by various means, such as stiffening portions of the engine structure, enclosing portions of the engine with sound absorbing or intercepting shields or covers and/or attaching various exterior components of the engine structure, such as cylinder head covers and oil pans, by sound isolating mounting means. Some proposed arrangements involve penalties in added cost and reduced serviceability of the engine or its installation as well as, in some cases, making assembly of the engine more difficult.
Internal combustion engines may use lubricating oil for many purposes including for example, lubricating moving parts, actuating cam phasers, and controlling switching valve lifters for valve stepping and cylinder deactivation. Typically an oil pan is disposed beneath a cylinder block and crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, and configured to receive oil that drains or is otherwise exhausted from the cylinder block, crankshaft and/or main bearings that support the crankshaft. The oil collects in a sump of the oil pan, and is then pumped from a sump pick-up location into a lubrication system associated with the engine.